“We see eye-to-eye with the coalition on this one”. Because perception shapes reality, everything is normal, nothing has to be done, and Putin – having supposedly restored Russia’s dignity – can enjoy his approval ratings of more than 80 percent.

“The streets are nearly completely empty and there is an unannounced curfew”, said the resident, speaking from the town of Rastan which was hit in the first day of Russian air strikes.

Russian analysts, however, insist that interests of the rebel regions are likely to be taken into account also.

Activists in Syriasaid militants did not hold Friday prayers in several mosques in the northern city of Raqqa, an IS stronghold.

In a video released Friday, al-Muhaysini said that the Russian intervention will boost the morale of fighters in Syria.

His country is still hopelessly corrupt and gripped with infighting among oligarch clans, despite the government having created no fewer than five new anti-corruption bodies.

The Russian Defense Ministry statement Friday said the latest wave of airstrikes targeted only IS and destroyed a command post near Daret Azzeh in the Aleppo region and hit a field camp near Maaret al-Numan in the Idlib region, wiping out bunkers and weapons stores.

Leaders meeting Friday were compelled to address the situation in Syria, despite the talks being centred on Ukraine. The ministry was not immediately available to comment on the apparent discrepancy with the earlier figures.

28, he knew he would grab the world’s attention and upstage US President Barack Obama with his call for a united front in the battle against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The US-led coalition said it conducted 28 air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq on Thursday.

Both Hollande and Putin looked stern and frosty-faced as the French leader welcomed his Russian counterpart in the yard of the Elysee palace, exchanging a couple of terse handshakes in front of photographers and cameramen.

Hollande said after the summit that the local elections should be organized under the Ukrainian election law, “which means the elections of October. 18 can not be held”.

While Europe has been eager to enlist Mr. Putin to bring stability to Syria by easing Mr. Assad out of power, Mr. Hollande and Ms. Merkel weren’t inclined to use the Ukraine negotiations as leverage to encourage Mr. Putin to play a more constructive role in Syria.

Syria’s foreign minister said the US-led coalition’s campaign against Islamic State was bound to fail. One worrying signal came from Germany’s vice-chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, who indicated that European Union sanctions against Russian Federation would have to be lifted for diplomacy to progress on Syria.

Washington is calling for Assad to step down and hold him responsible for the majority of the 240,000 deaths from the war. Prioritising civilians isn’t only necessary for humanitarian reasons – it is a topic that will make things slightly less comfortable for Russian Federation: its “anti-terrorist” wars in Chechnya are a dismal legacy that should be recalled. Russian Federation denies itsmilitary is even in Ukraine.

Neither Merkel or Hollande touched on the issue of sanctions, which are due to be reviewed at the end of the year.

The meeting between Poroshenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande ended with a call for a delay of controversial rebel plans to hold local elections this month.